Most polyester clothes are made from refined crude oil
Inventions
Every time you pull on a synthetic workout shirt, you are wearing a material that began its life as a liquid trapped deep beneath the Earth's crust.
Modern fashion is effectively a branch of the petrochemical industry. Since DuPont chemists first synthesized polyester in 1953, the fabric has captured 55 percent of the global fiber market by mimicking the molecular structure of silk. Today, roughly three-quarters of all polyester is derived from crude oil and natural gas. To create the fabric, manufacturers transform petroleum into a clear liquid called purified terephthalic acid, which is then polymerized into long, microscopic chains that can stretch to three times their original length without breaking.